Dig a Little Deeper: God Over Heqet

In the ongoing confrontation between God and Pharaoh, we witness a battle of wills and power. Despite God's command to release the Israelite slaves, Pharaoh not only defied God but also increased the burden on the Hebrew people.

God responded by displaying his power through the serpent confrontation and by unleashing the first plague, turning the Nile River into blood. Hapi's defeat showed God as the true sustainer of life.

Even still, Pharaoh refused to release the Hebrews, and God responded with the second plague.

The Plague of Frogs

The Nile River had been a source of trouble for Egypt, symbolizing both their deliverance and now their affliction. The second plague brought forth swarms of frogs from the river, invading the land of Egypt.

Heqet, a goddess associated with fertility, childbirth, and renewal, was often depicted as a frog or a woman with a frog's head. The ancient Egyptians sought her assistance for safe deliveries and healthy children.

They believed that Khnum formed the human body on his potter's wheel, and that Heqet breathed life into human bodies.

Frogs were also connected to the annual flooding of the Nile, which brought fertility to the soil. Through the plague of frogs, God challenged Heqet's authority and demonstrated that true life comes from him alone.

The Giver of Life

As we reflect on the plague of frogs, we are reminded that God is the ultimate giver of life. In Genesis, we learn that God formed man from the dust of the ground, not Khnum; God breathed life into him, not Heqet. Contrary to the ancient Egyptian belief in Heqet as the life-giver, God alone holds the power to create and sustain life.

In our contemporary society, many deny God's role as the giver of life. Instead, they embrace evolutionary theories that propose life originated from non-living matter and evolved over millions of years. By doing so, they strip away the glory that rightfully belongs to God.

Similar to the ancient Egyptians, our culture attempts to assign the credit for life to something lesser than God. Through their feeble attempts at a naturalistic explanation, society fails to recognize that it is God who has breathed life into us.

The Breath of Life

then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Genesis 2:7

The Hebrew word used here for "breathed" is "napah," which depicts inflating or resuscitating. The image of God breathing life into unresponsive man parallels His resuscitation of our spiritually dead souls through Jesus Christ.

In his victory over Heqet, God showcased his authority as the true life-giver. Through Christ we have the opportunity to receive eternal life. Jesus sacrificially gave his breath on the cross, providing us not only with physical life, but spiritual life.

Rather than looking to false gods or secular explanations for the origin of life, we must fix our gaze upon the cross of Jesus Christ. It is through him that salvation and eternal life are made available to all who repent and submit to Christ as Lord.